About the Change Virtual Array service

ViPR includes several features that allow data center administrators to tightly control data mobility in a
VPLEX
environment. This article describes the Change Virtual Array service in the
ViPR service catalog. This service allows you to manage both the location of the
VPLEX
virtual volume and the underlying physical storage.

The Change Virtual Array service allows you to perform the following operations:

Move a
VPLEX
virtual volume from one VPLEX cluster to another.

Reassign the
VPLEX
virtual volume's
ViPR virtual array to a different virtual array.

Change the back end physical storage volume on which
VPLEX
virtual volume is based to another physical storage volume assigned to the new virtual array.

Move the data on the original physical storage volume to the new storage volume.

Use ViPR to change the virtual array used in a VPLEX Metro configuration

The
ViPR Change Virtual Array service is designed to change the virtual array used in a
VPLEX
environment.

Before you begin

This operation requires the System Administrator role in
ViPR.

This service is only supported in a
VPLEX
Metro configuration, on local virtual volumes that have not been exported to a host.

The new block storage volume is created from the same virtual pool as the original block storage volume. Therefore the new virtual array being chosen must be configured with the same virtual pool as the original virtual array that was used for the
VPLEX
virtual volume.

Procedure

From the Service Catalog, run
Block Storage Services > Change Virtual Array.

Select the project to which the volume belongs.

Select the volume to move.

Select the target virtual array; the virtual array to which the volume will be moved.

Understanding how changing the virtual array in ViPR changes the VPLEX environment

In a VPLEX configuration, each VPLEX cluster exists on a different virtual array. When a new virtual array is selected for a VPLEX local virtual volume, the local virtual volume is moved from the cluster on the original virtual array to the cluster on the selected virtual array, and a new back end storage volume is created on the selected virtual array for the virtual volume.

In the following image:

The VPLEX is configured with Cluster 1 on Virtual Array A, and Cluster 2 on Virtual Array Z.

The back end storage for VPLEX Virtual Volume A, on Cluster 1 is configured from VMAX A.2, which is part of Virtual Array A.

Initial setup with Virtual Array A

In the next image the virtual array for VPLEX Virtual Volume A is changed to Virtual Array Z.

Change to Virtual Array Z

A new back end storage volume, from the same virtual pool, is configured for VPLEX Virtual Volume A on VMAX Z.2 on Virtual Array Z.

The data from the VMAX A.2 back end volume is migrated to the new back end volume on VMAX Z.2 using VPLEX local device migration, resulting in VPLEX Virtual Volume A being moved to Cluster 2 in Virtual Array Z.

The VMAX A.2 back end volume is then unexported from VPLEX Cluster 1 and deleted.